From public landmarks like a giant teddy bear holding alphabet blocks to a deep tradition of family bonding around past times like baseball, Boston is a great city for children. A number of activities to entertain young visitors and natives alike are sprinkled throughout the historical city, whose many public monuments will teach children of the nation's history while hustling from activity to activity.
New England Aquarium
Children will be taken with Boston's New England Aquarium immediately. Before entering the building, visitors are greeted with a 42,000-gallon Atlantic Harbor Seal display. A spiraling structure, the aquarium is built around a central display of dozens of penguins living in an open-air pool right in the middle of the building. The penguins waddle on rocks, splash and swim in the waters around them, and munch on delectable dead fish aquarium employees toss to them.
The New England Aquarium
Central Wharf
Boston, MA 02110
617-973-5200
neaq.org
Boston Common
The 50-acre Boston Common is the oldest park in the United States. During the 19th century, the common was used for cattle grazing and public hangings, though the park is now the perfect luxurious respite from the dense urban environment of the city. Children will find plenty to do within the Common. A Frog Pond within the park is accompanied, during the temperate months, but a carousel with, you guessed it, frogs for children and adults, to ride.
Boston Common
Bound by Tremont, Beacon, Charles, Park and Boylston Streets
Central Boston
607-357-8300
cityofboston.gov
Fenway Park
A tour of historical Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, is a great activity for children who are fans of sports. The tour is a 50-minute walk through the park where Babe Ruth played in his youth. Tours leave each hour on the hour between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m, seven days a week. On game days, tours end three hours before the first pitch. Though Yankees fans might not be made to feel welcome, child fans of the Bronx Bombers will have fun seeing the inner workings of the enemy fortress.
Fenway Park
4 Yawkey Way
Boston, MA 02215
617-226-6666
mlb.com
Boston Children's Museum
What better activity for children is there in the Massachusetts capital than the Boston Children's Museum? Dozens of hands-on activities for children of all ages ensure a fun-filled day for kids. For example, in celebration of the 2010 World Cup, the museum hosts the exhibit One Africa, Many Countries. Other current exhibits include Japanese House, a reproduction of a two-story silk merchant home from Kyoto, Japan, for children to explore, and Boston Black, "a dialogue about race, ethnicity, identity and community" in Boston.
Boston Children's Museum
308 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02210
617-426-6500
bostonchildrensmuseum.org
Qunicy Market
Officially known as Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market is an outdoor urban marketplace composed of four historical buildings. Traditional outdoor market fair and trinkets of all types present enough of a visual panoply to keep children engaged, though for the young and restless visiting Boston, Quincy Market offers plenty of outdoor theater, from street performers to historical re-enactments to bona fide clowns.
Quincy Market Building
Boston, MA 02109
617-523-1300
faneuilhallmarketplace.com
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